Beside you always
by Mystickal
Summary: Ren has disappeared and Horo Horo has taken upon himself the task of locating their leader. A one-shot; slight HoroxRen one-sided .


_Beside you Always_

Mystickal: This is my first RenHoro HoroRen fanfic! W00t! So go easy on me! Sorry for the cheesy title oh well.

Ren: //whacks//

Mystickal: T.T Oh well. Anyway just don't forget to R&R&R! (read and review and perhaps rate?) Fire away guys! (Sorry for the OOC-ness if there are any TT)

Shaman King Cast: No way does this fangirling crazy gal owns Shaman King. Its rightful owner is Hiroyuki Takei sama.

Mystickal: //tosses cookies to the cast//

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ren!" A certain blue-haired Ainu called out into the darkness. "Where was that guy..." He pondered as he trudged deeper into the depths of the woods. It was not like their team leader to be late for anything. In fact, he was usually the earliest there and reprimanded everyone who came even a second later. A slightly grin spreaded across his lips at the thought, as he continued searching for his leader. "REN!" He had been shouting for the past hour without any avail. His heartbeat started to quicken, beads of pespiration outlined his face, his legs started to ache. "No, I must not stop," Horo scanned the forested maze in front of him. "Kuso..." He continued weaving between the gigantic tree trunks, his experienced eyes darting to and fro, hoping to catch a glimspe of a dark haired shaman somewhere. "REEEEEEEN!!!!!" Horo halted and yelled once more before collasping on the floor in pure exhaustion. His breathes were ragged, eyes frantic. His bandana was on the verge of coming undone, leaving his soft blue spikes gently carassing his face. Anxiety was building up within him, his fists were unconsiously clenched. His breathing was beginning to return to normal, but his fears kept growing with every increasing minute. "What could have happened to him? Did he injure himself? Could he had gotten lost in this maze?" Questions raced across his mind as he tried to calm himself down and think clearly.

It was closing midnight. A bright and spherical moon hung above the forest, shedding light into the trails of darkness. Around the Ainu, dark menancing shadows loomed, threatening to engulf him, yet shirking away from the beams of light surrounding the shaman. An eerie silence prevailed in this maze, almost like all signs of life had just vanished, leaving Horo all alone. Even though he was a shaman who loved and even specialised in nature, it was almost impossible to feel overwhelmed by the blend of darkness and silence. Gentle breeze rustled the dry leaves, creating a rough cracking noise. A rusty blade slicing through the thick coat of silence. His thoughts had began settling down and his body was no longer tied down with fatigue. With a sigh, he got onto his feet again. Tightening his bandana and pulling his jacket closer to himself, with a graceful yet powerful kick, he leapt into the cool night air and disappeared quietly into the depths of darkness.

-_Somewhere near the outskirts of the forest_-

Chocolove sat in his team's log cabin and sipped his steaming coffee. His double-toned haired teammate had set off hours ago in search of their team leader. Even though his sight had left him long before, he could vaguely guess the length of time of which the Ainu had left the cabin. "It should be midnight soon." He placed his cup down on the wooden table with a soft clank and walked towards the fireplace. The warmth of the fire reduced his worries slightly. He sat down on the wooden floor and stroked Mic gently. "Should I go look for them?" He absent-mindedly asked while tickling the bottom of Mic's strong chin. "Ruuu?" The leopard purred and rubbed its head against its owner. "They are both powerful shamans but in the hands of nature, it might not make much of a difference. Horo Horo should know that well by now." His fingers touched the cool metal of his medium. Fingering the familar curves of the claws, his mind wandered off to his two teammates. Sure he irritated them to the bone once in a while when his jokes when overboard (a/n: Isn't that ALWAYS?), but deep down inside, he knew all of them cared for one another like their own family. Even their seemingly slave-driving team leader, Ren, cared about his two teammaters.

No matter how big the risks are, their leader would be the first one to place himself ahead of others. Despite him having a tendency to whip out his Kwan-Do from goodness knows where to chase after the both of them, or deliver a lightning speed punch/kick into their stomachs/faces most of the time, he had a good heart deep down inside. Never once had he failed to risk his own well-being for the life of his friends. Horo Horo was more or less the opposite of their team leader. He was the happy-go-lucky one who always brightened up the entire team regardless of the atmosphere. He too never fails to annoy Ren most of the time, resulting in either a chasing with the Kwan-Do or insults shot back at him. In the end, both of them always patched up and the cycle continues the day after. Yet, everytime they argue, he could sense the tension in their leader disappear and perhaps a even more relaxed side of him showed. Ren was cool-headed in battle, just like Horo Horo who was brash. Ren was cold towards others while one could feel Horo Horo's warmth radiating miles off. Both of them complimented each other like the Yin and Yang. Too much of one would cause an inbalance in the fragility of nature. Yet both together could create the perfect world. Sadly, he, Chocolove was just the little dots on either side. He had his ups and downs more often than Ren and Horo Horo but most of the time they were suppressed beneath his never ending blanket of cold jokes.

The Afro-American jumped up and stretched before returning to his seat at the table with his now cool mug of coffee. Leaning his head against the cold glass pane of the window, he listened intenetly to the howl of the northern winds, hoping to capture soft padding of boots against the ground. He glanced out of the window with his sightless eyes, yet in his mind, a picture of the forest appeared. He might not be able to see, but his other senses allowed his mind to generate images according to the information gathered by his other senses. He prayed softly for the safe and hastier return of his two teammates. In his heart however, his believes had already been instilled in his teammates, he knew that they would come back safely. Until then, all he could do was wait.

-_Back in the dense forest_-

Horo Horo danced into the depths of the forests, continuing his search for the missing shaman. The moon shone as brightly as before, illuminating his lone figure, a stark contrast against the black background. His soft features showed signs of determination as he ignored his groaning muscles. The Ainu had long lost track of time and was just aimlessly, even helplessly searching high and low. He knew the cabin would be in the good hands of Chocolove, relieving him of another worry to weigh him down. Lethargy was beginning to seep into his veins due to the endless sprinting. Yet he did not stop. His eyelids felt like lead, threatening to give way any moment, his muscles were meeting the ends of their limits, a dull and steady throb haunted his mind. It would be impossible for him to find Ren in such a condition. Struggling for a few minutes more, his legs finally gave in and he sank into the ground. All his energy had beeen sapped from his body, his usually alert eyes were dull. Painfully, he hauled himself onto a tree and stood up with quivering limbs. Scanning the area once more, his hopes of achieving his goal tonight evaporated like thin mist. All he could do was rest now and allow his body to recuperate before continuing his mission when dawn broke. He allowed his body to slump gratefully against the woody trunk of the tree, his entire body throbbed painfully. A soft canopy of leaves sheltered him from the moonlight as his unmoving form melted into the darkness.

His mind could not rest. Horo cuold feel his body relaxing, his breathing slowed to a steady beat, yet his troubled mind refused to slip into unconsiousness. Pictures of his team leader appeared in his mind. Drifting towards him steadily, each of them a haunting memory etched into his mind. Happy moments of his team together, times of which all of them argued, battles which they had courageously fought... Horo felt himself sink deeper and deeper into the sea of memories, reliving each of the moments he had shared with the Chinese.

_-Flashback in memories-_

_"REN!" He cried out as his leader saved his pathetic life. "No..." He rushed towards his leader's side and gently lifted him into his arms. "Ren...Ren, wake up please..." He softly pushed the violet bangs to the side. How pitiful could he be? He could not even protect his own life, he even needed someone else to save his skin. Warm tears started to gather in his azure eyes, as he continued to call out his leader's name while choking back his sobs. The blade flew towards the Chinese, he could see his leader's eyes widen as it dived through him. "How could I not protect him..." He shoulders shook as he used Kororo to freeze the gaping wound on Ren. "FAUST! Help him!" He cried out frantically at the German doctor. "He must not die! He musn't!" His voice shook with both agony and frustration. Faust was already a step ahead of him, he was already attending to the injured shaman. "This is not good... He is losing too much blood even with his wound frozen. It would take some time before the bleeding would cease..." His experienced hands flew across the purple-haired shaman. Horo felt so helpless, all he could do was watch, he could not even help his leader. He felt so useless, he was a burden to the team. With tears brimming in his eyes, he silently glided away from the group, his heart sending a prayer in Ainu language to Ren, praying for his saftey._

_-Reality-_

Drops of tears slowly escaped the covers of the eye, gliding over the smooth curves of the Ainu's features. Steadily, tears flowed with increasing speed, creating numerous trails down his face. Each of them filled with the memories of the one he cared for, glistering with regret and sorrow. His heart kept repeating his vow, to keep Ren safe against all odds. Be it his reputation, friendship, even his own life at stake, he would always be there for Ren. Helping him along the way, protecting him. It was the only way to ease the never ending pain within his tortured soul. He had to find the Chinese. He must not break the promise he had made to himself. Even if it kills him, he would comb the entire forest to find out what happened to his leader. He had to protect him from any danger, supporting him all the way. In his mind, the image of Ren reappeared with a gentle smile on his delicate features. He was so perfect, yet his heart was filled with uncertainty. Horo hoped that one day, he would be able to open his leader's heart up, unchaining him from the shackles of darkness and hatred which he had been locked in since young. Allowing the darkness of his soul to be washed away by the light. To allow his leader to experience true happiness and freedom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mystickal: Omg! I have completed it! Ok fine, I cannot write long long stories like most of the fanfic authors here. But I try! Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors, my MS Word died on me so I am using wordpad.

Ren: KISAMA! Why didn't I appear at all?

Horo: Come on, I need the limelight once in a while...

Ren: //chases Horo with his Kwan-Do//

Mystickal: Ok thats all folks? R&R&R! Arigato gozaimasu!


End file.
